Feline Like A Suspect: A Crystal Beach Paranormal Cozy Mystery by McSpade Karen

Author:McSpade, Karen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Newcastle Media
Published: 2023-02-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

I was already impressed by what I had seen of the Shifting Sands Retirement Center since initially rushing down to my grandmother’s aid in Crystal Beach. But the night of the rocket launch party was something quite extraordinary.

I, my mother, Savvy Sam, and at least twenty retirement center residents, including Ada-Mae and Ernie, headed to the beach, carrying everything we needed for the party. Our exuberant group made its way past the swimming pool, around the little lake, past the imposing Greater Assisted Living Center on our left, and finally to the gate in the rear wall.

Everyone at the front of the procession tried to agree on this week’s four-digit gate security code—rather too loudly to be exactly security conscious, in my opinion. After a short delay, we continued out onto the sand. We set up chairs and blankets and a small barbecue that Ernie immediately took charge of, getting a bit territorial when anyone else tried to muscle in.

Two huge burgers and half a glass of white wine later, I watched the last of the light fall from the sky like warm honey, sitting next to Ada-Mae on a hemp blanket that she had woven herself, as she was keen on telling me.

“T-minus five minutes ‘til launch,” Judd called out dramatically to the gathering. He had taken his station standing on a slight rise in the sand in front of everybody, his gaze fixed northward along the beach and slightly out to sea, set on the point where the rocket would soon begin its rise—if all went as planned. It was plain from the tone of his voice and the way he stood there, the sense of excitement and awe he exuded, that once someone was an astronaut, they were always an astronaut.

Ernie put the top on the barbecue and joined him. I glanced around to see if I could spot my mother. She had been in a fine mood, and if something could be said for Julia-Mae Grace, it was that she was a lot of fun to be around when she was in a good mood. However, from the moment we arrived at the beach, she and Savvy Sam had loitered at the edge of the gathering, seemingly entranced with one another.

Blech!

Now, it seemed that they had snuck off like amorous teenagers. I turned to Ada-Mae. “What are we going to do about Mom and that Sam guy?”

“Well, I think Julia-Mae is past me being able to tell her who to date.”

I rolled my eyes, took another sip of wine, and hoped she was joking. “But he’s obviously working some sort of magic on her. You said so yourself.”

“The killer mini-golf skills are definitely magical. As for the rest....”

I sat up a little straighter. “What?”

“I’ve been watching them all evening, and I can’t tell for sure. Might just be she’s fallen for his charms.”

I nearly choked on another sip of wine. “Nope. Anyway, he was definitely trying to work some trick on me when we visited his office.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.